News Agency

Mauritian drivers will now find their wallets a little lighter after the board in charge of fuel prices on the Indian Ocean island authorised an increase in prices for petrol (gasoline) and diesel, the national newspaper L’Express reported last week.

The Petroleum Pricing Committee announced after a meeting of its senior management on Wednesday 20 December, 2017, that fuel prices will be hiked. Following their decision, the recommended price per litre for petrol will increase from MUR Rs. 44.90 (GBP £0.99; USD $1.33) to MUR Rs. 47.30 (GBP £1.05; USD $1.40), an increase of Rs. 2.40. For diesel, the price goes up by Rs. 2.75 from MUR Rs. 35.35 (GBP £0.78; USD $1.04) to Rs. 38.10 (GBP £0.84; USD $1.12) with the price hikes going into effect from midnight following the announcement.

While even after the increase, Mauritians still enjoy cheaper fuel than many countries in Europe for example, the high cost of living there has caused many motorists to vent their frustration at the PPC’s new rates for fuels.

A number of comments from social media were studied by this article’s author. Commentators stated the news as ‘criminal’ and the Mauritian government’s idea of a Christmas gift for the nation. Others laid into the government itself, calling them ‘buffoons’ and saying that in other countries, such news would have heralded riots or a change in government.